Coats for canines have been around for many years. Existing coats provide protection from the weather, foreign objects or both. Coats range in function from cold weather wear for hairless or short-haired dogs to bulletproof vests for police dogs.
An example of a coat that protects against weather is Great Britain patent No. 1,029,346 to Gotschi et al. Gotschi et al. teach a canine coat that covers the chest and back of the canine, as shown in FIGS. 1-5. Essentially, Gotschi et al. teach a form fitted coat made of a flexible material designed to keep a dog warm in cold weather. Gotschi et al. fail to disclose a coat that provides adequate penetration protection as might be needed by hunting dogs. Also, Gotschi et al. have designed a canine coat to provide warmth in cold weather with no concern for dogs that may overheat due to exertion and heavy exposure to the sun.
Another product on the market effective in one form of protection is the Tummy Save.RTM.. As shown in Figure F, the Tummy Saver.RTM. protects a dog's chest and abdomen from cuts, scratches and skin irritations from heavy ground cover and unseen obstacles. A 1000-denier Cordura.RTM. patch and a Cordura.RTM. inner lining provides the protection of the Tummy Saver.RTM.. The Tummy Saver.RTM. is an effective product for abdominal protection. However, the Tummy Saver.RTM. is unconcerned with providing comfort in warm and cold weather.
The prior art described above fails to address the issue of providing day/night chest and belly protection that is adaptable between providing protection from overheating due to overexertion and heavy sun exposure and protection from cold weather.